love is magic d e c o m p r e s s e d

yoga as medicine ::: thoughts of a practicing yogini

2011-11-24T14:02:00.000-08:00

"Sri Yoga Devi is the Goddess of Yoga and the Shakti of Bhagavan Narayana."
http://www.suddhayoga.net

yoga is such powerful medicine.
this is us taking back our inherent birthright of love, power & health...
we are such exquisite & unique expressions of the Universe!

our practice is unique to us.
our breath, our LIFE FORCE, is unique to us & yet it reminds us our ONENESS -
WE ALL BREATH, in ... and out ... it is also in this dualistic motion that We Were All Created.
Yoga is Youth & Youth is not an age, Youth is not a number,
Youth is how we choose to live,
how much fun we allow ourselves to have: on and off our mat,
how we choose to honor our bodies....
Yoga is a worshiping of our own Temple, so we may show up for ourselves,
so we can show up for those we CHOOSE to love & to Honor,
to be present, be strong, be Love & just BE with...
Our practice is just that: Our Practice.
so be gentle with yourself, accept yourself as You Are. Allow yourself to dance, liberated in the Maya... breath in the Maya, breath in the Lila, the divine Dance, breath in the posture,
Breath. Keep Breathing.

Namaste, Sat Nam, Jai Ma in deep gratitude...deep surrender.

Thank you Teachers & Masters
who have come before us & allowed us Now,
OUR PRACTICE.

ommmm shanti, shanti, shanti....
natalia.

PLEASURE & LIBERATION :::

2011-11-24T13:02:00.000-08:00

yes, you can have both.

from my teacher: Psalm Isadora :
"... We learn our dharma, our law, our place in the Wheel of Life. Once we come to know and surrender to our dharma, we can turn the wheel of life instead of trying to turn against it..."

and how exhausting is to continuously feel we are swimming upstream against Mother Ocean's current: she will always outswim us. the struggle against ourSelves, avoidance of ourSelves, is an avoidance of our inner voice is Our own struggle against the current.
water flows, Mother Ocean's river's which flow easily and deeply into Her waters (which covers 71% of the Earth's surface...) represent that flow... it's a flow into her own depths . To know our dharma (our path) we must allow ourSelves to flow more deeply INTO ourselves.... how deep do you allow yourself to go? to grow? GO IN ... that's where the medicine is... INSIDE OF US...

This came to me recently during meditation, I chose to come out immediately to transcribe it:
"When we think someone is done with us, we become very upset - what this really is, is an opportunity to more fully step into our Dharma...When we truly know our Dharma, our life path, we are filled with inner peace...because each opportunity to be "alone" is not truly aloneness..its a space to more fully step into who we are, and why we came- and we all came here to bring something special and be a unique expression of spirit, of the creator..."

***flow deeper. get deep. come in, come in.. ask yourself questions, love yourself & accept yourself a little more deeply right now in this moment than you ever have before... it's time. we are the One's we've been waiting for... :) :) :)
***

love.natalia.:::n.om

I'M GRATEFUL FOR ...................

2011-08-30T18:56:00.000-07:00

green juice, cafe gratitude, life food organic, golden bridge, yoga, tantra, psalm isadora, taylor, n.om again.. skyler, crystals, dolphins, jai zeta, my mommy, juicy, Facebook and gmail, airplanes, kindkreme, beautiful art, kind people, smiles, sunshine, the mountains in los angeles, my friends who love me and listen to me, christopher witecki, soulgarden, rudy, her laugh, the gate slamming, bhakti fest, n.om, creativity, osho, ram dass, healthy chakras, brilliant people, kind people, smiling, dogs, babies, amazing conversations, sunshine, sex, beautiful hair, art, expression, pure barre, ryan heffington, dance, lucent dossier, burning man, lightining in a bottle, lyndsey, marty… lsd & amazing beautiful high vibe mushroom chocolates, amazing wine, mini coopers, well designed type work, beautiful cars, beautiful nature, nature, sunshine, sky, clouds, trees, the park in hollywood, shannon…. kombucha 2000… erewhon, healthy roads, learning and loving our "mistakes", natalie, jerry park, rosie…black hair dye….me. the universe. god, krishna, jesus, buddha, crystals, every-thing.

with love, natalia

mallorca, spain / hossegor, south of france

2011-08-13T09:20:00.000-07:00

paris:

2011-08-13T08:41:00.000-07:00

written on a napkin in an italian restaurant in Paris, waiting for the rain to submit.

You, that flows within my inner sphere,
to knock me down & search around, with care
Do I squander the moments that redefine my mirth?
am I searching, nothing,
fondling the Earth...?

i've truly been enjoying my journey through Europe - to stop and reflect is really why I feel I manifested this trip. When i'm home in Los Angeles, I am always going, here I have allowed myself an opportunity to slow down my pace a little bit and observe. Not just everything around me, but to really observe mySelf: what I want, who I am and how I fit into (or don't;) to this big, mad, beautiful world I chose to live in...

someday, somewhere, anywhere, here, there:

2011-08-13T08:35:00.000-07:00

"Someday, somewhere - anywhere, unfailingly, you’ll find yourself,
and that, and only that, can be the happiest or bitterest hour of your life."
— Pablo Neruda

2011-07-12T18:37:00.001-07:00

n.om from Hannah Hughes on Vimeo.

jewelry making class TWO ! :::

2011-06-19T22:59:00.001-07:00

so much fun :::
love, n.om

2011-06-08T12:05:00.001-07:00

IT FEELS GOOD TO HAVE FOUND MY SELF ONCE AGAIN .

response to naked.

2011-06-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

photos, natalia.benson, 2010

response:::

what is it to be naked? to be nude & unshamed by whatever your physical form? :

it is freedom, bliss, child-like fairy innocence, eternal beauty, because there is no one & no thing

other than the beat/bat of your own heart, whom can whisper words of solace & Truth about

your own Being.

we come in Naked, we exit Naked, through the gift shop, up to the stars, as brand new as when

we came in ... back to the Love Centered Source that rests at the very core of our own Beingness,

it's never not with us, it's never been without us, it's because it is Us.

stare naked at YourSelf in a mirror, at your Lover, at your Friend, at your Foe,

because peering behind the judgment of an

overactive mind, we are all in Oneness. Nudity is Oneness, & courage & bravery at Accepting

EVERYTHING exactly as it is ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

so take it all off & just BE.

--- natalia, naked on this day june 8, 2011

an ode to a beautiful nude

2011-06-08T11:17:00.001-07:00

p. helen korpak

((( sent to me by my best friend )))
an ode to a beautiful nude

With a chaste heart
With pure eyes I celebrate your beauty
Holding the leash of blood
So that it might leap out and trace your outline
Where you lie down in my Ode
As in a land of forests or in surf
In aromatic loam, or in sea music

Beautiful nude
Equally beautiful your feet
Arched by primeval tap of wind or sound
Your ears, small shells
Of the splendid American sea
Your breasts of level plentitude
Fulfilled by living light
Your flying eyelids of wheat
Revealing or enclosing
The two deep countries of your eyes

The line your shoulders have divided into pale regions
Loses itself and blends into the compact halves of an apple
Continues separating your beauty down into two columns of
Burnished gold
Fine alabaster
To sink into the two grapes of your feet
Where your twin symmetrical tree burns again and rises
Flowering fire
Open chandelier
A swelling fruit
Over the pact of sea and earth

From what materials
Agate?
Quartz?
Wheat?
Did your body come together?
Swelling like baking bread to signal silvered hills
The cleavage of one petal
Sweet fruits of a deep velvet
Until alone remained
Astonished
The fine and firm feminine form

It is not only light that falls over the world spreading inside your body
Yet suffocate itself
So much is clarity
Taking its leave of you
As if you were on fire within

The moon lives in the lining of your skin

----PABLO NERUDA

every thing is every thing :::

2011-04-11T16:44:00.000-07:00

Everything is everything
What is meant to be, will be
After winter, must come spring
Change, it comes eventually
[2x]

I wrote these words for everyone
Who struggles in their youth
Who won't accept deception
Instead of what is truth
It seems we lose the game,
Before we even start to play
Who made these rules? We're so confused
Easily led astray
Let me tell ya that
Everything is everything
Everything is everything
After winter, must come spring
Everything is everything
Change, it comes eventually ...

- lauryn hill

space 15 Twenty interview :::

2011-04-09T17:41:00.001-07:00

http://www.space15twenty.com/tags/flea_market

this was a big day for me :::

2011-04-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

about 25:00 minutes in: my favorite astrologer Christopher Witecki interviews me on what it's like being an Aries as well as let's me explain my crystal healing collection which I based on Astrology & the Tarot..

Video streaming by Ustream

SUNDAY ::: April 10th ;;;;

2011-04-06T14:18:00.000-07:00

sale sale sale sale : vintage/jewelry : sale sale sale sale

2011-04-03T17:53:00.001-07:00

crystals. come get some.
coachella is almost here & rosebowl will be HOT (temperature wise;)

http://www.space1520.com/tags/flea_market

tarot readings w/ natalia ::: reviews

2011-03-29T20:01:00.000-07:00

ૐ ૐ ૐ

if you've ever wondered about getting a tarot reading, below is some feedback from some beauties who have engaged in a tarot healing session with me .... enjoy :)

ૐ ૐ ૐ

"Not only do I love your knowledge of the Tarot but I love how you incorporate your evolved wisdom and the Higher Consciousness of the Love energy into your readings and everything you do. Then you can help "prescribe" your client a customized Tarot Necklace or other beautiful n.om Jewelry piece"

ૐ ૐ ૐ

"I liken your readings to being like that first ray of sunshine that comes through the window and shines a warm light on your face. The kind of ray that helps you remember how special you are and what gifts you are experiencing, no matter what your situation looks or feels like."

ૐ ૐ ૐ

"I have had tarot readings in the past, and none have been as organic, loving, and blissfully accurate, as Miss Natalia Benson's intelligent and intuitive reading. She connected with me on the level of my higher self to help unveil the present issues radiating at my core, and offered wisdom on how powerful changes will aid my spirit in the future. As I write this two weeks after the reading, my being has already transformed so immensely and powerfully beyond my expectations. Everyone has a divine and unique experience with tarot, but I can tell you that Natalia will give you one that will stay with you forever and in all ways."

ૐ ૐ ૐ

"you are a true healer! everything about you- your energy, your voice, your words- radiates compassion, tranquility, peace, and love. this reading was just what i needed, and i was surprised at how empowered i felt during and after. you were a powerful yet gentle guide, leading me to a deeper understanding of myself. it was an incredibly grounding, centering experience for me, and one that left me with a welcome clarity of focus. thank you, from the bottom of my heart! i will definitely be in touch again... for future readings, and to procure some of your amazing jewelry!"

ૐ ૐ ૐ

to book your reading please go here:
http://www.pieceofnatalia.com/tarot-readingsn-om/
$83 / hour reading, $60 any additional hours.

readings are conducted over the phone, over Skype or in person
if you live in the Los Angeles area.
i look forward to reading, healing & expanding with you.

in love & light,
natalia & n.om

coachella-la : body chain necklaces, 90s flair, braid in feathers

2011-03-18T18:31:00.000-07:00

one week from tomorrow, readying ourselves to bask in the sunny sunshine of coachella.

rooster feather hair extensions will include: snowy white & a stunning reddish, browns, blacks w/ a really rad line down the center... thanks to the roosters for being so beautiful. / $5 an extension

if you cannot make the sale, but would still like extensions done,
please contact us here to make an appointment

yvn: white crochet crop top, blue/purple tie-dyed amazing throw, shear & amazing

n.om: black/white feather earrings (pair) w/ rose quartz (the stone of love & self lovin!)

yvn: amazzzzzing bell-bottomed sleeves (? what else to call them?!) crop top, crochet detail at elbow

n.om: pyrite necklace, black tourmaline body harness necklace & chrysoprase crystal/copper chain necklace
turkey feather tie in's for your beautiful little head, you can put in as many as you'd like

n.om: most amazing when you layer them, crystals are a good idea for their energetic charge & aura-protection as you'll be expelling so much energy dancing & frolicking around like a moon-child

n.om: back view of black tourmaline body harness necklace, available in any crystal you please: quartz, rose quartz, pyrite, chrysoprase etc.

you truly won't ever take it off. it's ok to shower in we think...

turkey feather braid-in.

yvn: pineapple flowing to the shin dress, flowy cozy, 90s. your hot 3rd grade teacher would've worn this probably. you'll just add a little more sass to it.

n.om: pyrite crystal (a leo stone, good for energy sparks!) / goose feather brass hoop earrings.

yvn: black crochet detail tank top, tight fitting, perfect with long, long flowey or short mini skirt, perfect vintage "basic"

n.om: apache multi-wear chain piece: can be worn on upper arm, mid arm or as a bracelet with super long amazing chains. black obsidian crystal arrowhead.

'eagle' feather braid in

yvn: crochet detail

n.om: we like it worn best on the upper & mid arm... goddess-esque.

see you next Saturday, March 26th! RSVP on our facebook invite!: "yvn, n.om, ru coachella sale"

xxx, love, love, love,
n.om, yvn, ru

invocation of the goddess :::

2011-03-17T11:15:00.001-07:00

it is i, full of grace & light,
releasing the struggle, there is no need to fight.
Love & light are one & the same,
healing our egos, releasing the shame,
mother-father divine bask in oneness, all light,
they call to our souls, in the dark of the night.
know you are perfect, know you are seen,
each One is healing, this is all just a dream.

- nb, 3.17.2011
love, light, love, light, love, light.
think light, be light.

::: prayer for japan :::

2011-03-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

hummingbird, love, message, MAGIC

2011-03-11T11:50:00.000-08:00

get ready, get set :::

2011-03-10T22:13:00.000-08:00

i will be doing bi-weekly shoots showcasing the vintage & jewels inspired by the sunshine & sweet tunes of coachella, the goods shown to you in pictures will be ready for your perusing at our sale on the 26th of this month!

coachella outfit planning beginning in mid-march................yes. it's true.

and yes, you can.

thought :::

2011-03-05T09:23:00.001-08:00

everything as it's meant to, for always & forever,
this seems to make the greatest sense as i left go of my tremors:
see tremors are fears born of not believing in our divine,
but often we forget, the infinity we've spent in all-knowingness sublime.
see everything as it's meant to, if only we can let go,
relinquish control & roll with the soul
is a most gorgeous way to grow. - nb, 2.2.10

something i wrote 2.2.2010 while waiting for a class at golden bridge yoga ...
photos were taken just a few weeks ago after i embarked on a small adventure in hollywood to siren studios in hopes of retrieving my car after a 'trip' i took on a Thursday night..... ;)

feather/coachella/inspired/quick collection :::

2011-02-10T15:11:00.000-08:00

coach-ello.

this little photo shoot is something i whipped up with my babe kelsey harper to capture round 1 of 3 or 4, of a feather collection i'm creating with you coachella goddesses in mind ...

think feather hair pieces, etheric feather onesie earrings, feathers, tribal, magic, magic, magic ... and on the cheap...

because no one likes losing their expensive flair at coachella when their frolicking like fairies ...

In March, i'd like to have a coachella flair party at my gypsy abode in Hollywood (where all of this was shot... see it here) , custom feather pieces, any jewelry you'd like to complete your very-planned-out-fits, & i'll be doing rooster feather hair extensions ... sound bueno? I think so:) it came to me whilst a half spin / half yoga class at YAS yesterday ... ;)

fairychella is what it's called this year.

light warrior, rose quartz ( crystal for love, bubble bath for the emotions), hand dipped turkey feather, orange tipped feather (so dope.)

$40

aphrodite, rose quartz (crystal for love, bubble bath for the emotions), gray turkey feather, magic.

$42

thunder goddess : aquamarine, hematite, hand dipped turkey feather, magic.

$38

thought of the post:

money is an exchange of energy. nothing more & nothing less.

om shanti, n.om loves you.

- n. & n.om

TO ORDER THESE PIECES

n.om ::: jewelry making class January 22 - 23, 2011

2011-02-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

gillian & me amidst a creative moment i'm sure...
gypsy fridge... keep your affirmations close to your fermented vegetables.
jesus with a six-pack.
remember before you walk out your door...............
grandma bubby.

gillian f.t.hot.
on ze roof, don't tell bob.
n.om's manifestation station.

captured by the brilliant phillip lopez & linden deGurian :::

n.om jewelry making class at Natalia's gypsy abode in Hollywood... we had so much fun.

n.om:::

2011-01-21T15:21:00.000-08:00

n.om from Hannah Hughes on Vimeo.

remember:::

2010-11-28T08:55:00.000-08:00

“Open your eyes to see your own spirit illuminated. Any way you externalize your inner vision can make your spirit visible to you. A story, a drawing, a joke, a garden, a love poem, a dance, a song, a building – all help you see that there are moments in your life that are sacred. The moment you see your spirit is the moment your heart opens. When you glimpse your spirit you gasp and cry, you feel emotion, you know who you are. That is the moment you begin to heal." Michael Samuels, M.D.

www.pathofthefeather.com./index.html

little grandmother ::: watch watch watch :::

2010-11-28T08:53:00.000-08:00

http://vimeo.com/16812713

love/amor/love/amor/magic/love//

2010-07-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

love is the most expanding experience the soul experiences during its time incarnated.

why is it love makes everything all understood, all justified, brighter, present?

because- it is what we are. we are love incarnate, we were physically manifest out of the act of love making. love created; love is a creative force, creativity is the embodiment of love, creativity is brightness, understanding, being in the moment wholly and fully...

THANK YOU - LOVE IS ALL WE ARE>>>

BREATH DEEPLY AND YOU'LL REMEMBER>

:::

2010-06-30T12:38:00.001-07:00

marianne williamson:

2010-06-30T12:24:00.002-07:00

a few notes I took from her talk last night in Hollywood..

-- i am willing to see this differently

-- forgiveness: the fact that what you think is real... heal me in my belief of this illusion because ONLY LOVE IS REAL

-- in my defenselessness, my safety lies

-- open your hands, open your heart: defenselessness is peace and safety, the ego would tell us otherwise, but the ego is illusion, the feeling of the heart is truth

-- LET GO LET GOD!

-- the universe will balance itself, you don't need to worry about it!!

-- "you can be bitter, or you can be better"

-- ego is self-hatred, when feelings of sadness, guilt, immense pain boil up in the body, this is the EGO not the soul... those feelings are the souls reminder that what you are feeling is not of TRUTH...release, let go, release, let go, release...

--WE GET THERE [inner peace] BECAUSE WE PRACTICE

--it is as real or as unreal as YOU make it

-- birth/death are a continuation

-- alien: you are not of here, each of us has felt like an alien upon this earth and this experience because essentially, we are!

-- kiva.org : microcredit loans to eradicate poverty ... truly, all of the worlds ills can be eased and eventually healed with the eradication of global poverty: poverty and lack of basic survival necessities are what lay the foundation for radical idealism and violence. human beings need to have their basic needs met and feel a sense of self-worth and self-love...

Kahlil Gibran on Love

2010-06-30T12:24:00.001-07:00

Kahlil Gibran on Love

When love beckons to you, follow him,
Though his ways are hard and steep.
And when his wings enfold you yield to him,
Though the sword hidden among his pinions may wound you.
And when he speaks to you believe in him,
Though his voice may shatter your dreams
as the north wind lays waste the garden.

For even as love crowns you so shall he crucify you. Even as he is for your growth so is he for your pruning.
Even as he ascends to your height and caresses your tenderest branches that quiver in the sun,
So shall he descend to your roots and shake them in their clinging to the earth.

Like sheaves of corn he gathers you unto himself.
He threshes you to make you naked.
He sifts you to free you from your husks.
He grinds you to whiteness.
He kneads you until you are pliant;
And then he assigns you to his sacred fire, that you may become sacred bread for God's sacred feast.

All these things shall love do unto you that you may know the secrets of your heart, and in that knowledge become a fragment of Life's heart.

But if in your fear you would seek only love's peace and love's pleasure,
Then it is better for you that you cover your nakedness and pass out of love's threshing-floor,
Into the seasonless world where you shall laugh, but not all of your laughter, and weep, but not all of your tears.
Love gives naught but itself and takes naught but from itself.
Love possesses not nor would it be possessed;
For love is sufficient unto love.

When you love you should not say, "God is in my heart," but rather, "I am in the heart of God."
And think not you can direct the course of love, for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.

Love has no other desire but to fulfill itself.
But if you love and must needs have desires, let these be your desires:
To melt and be like a running brook that sings its melody to the night.
To know the pain of too much tenderness.
To be wounded by your own understanding of love;
And to bleed willingly and joyfully.
To wake at dawn with a winged heart and give thanks for another day of loving;
To rest at the noon hour and meditate love's ecstasy;
To return home at eventide with gratitude;
And then to sleep with a prayer for the beloved in your heart and a song of praise upon your lips.

watch: fawnhawk "hunters hide"

2010-06-25T23:55:00.000-07:00

http://vimeo.com/12804881

manifesto of the new lover

2010-06-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

i remind myself, when i am centered with me, i can be centered with absolutely any and every person.

i lay on the grass in the sun.

i recognize, when my energy gets low, the first thing i like to do is focus on a love interest, a lust, i put pressure & wish energy from that person, yet i remember:

any & all energy is generated & comes from within me. ___ is a beautiful manifestation & reflection of my centeredness, my energy & my presence. we are mirrors to one another. he is his own being, & i am mine. i honor him in my presence, i honor myself. i draw energy from source which is all energy-- i surrender every moment, i let go every moment because in surrender- there is truth!!!

in my silence there is truth, in my kindness & love & centeredness is all truth... in this moment, in my solitude, in sunshine, i am a pillar of my own energy & i remember, i am NEVER alone.

i am always in love & in the quietness of my mind, the centeredness of my heart lies all of eternity.

all i can be, is in this moment & all i can be is true to my feelings. to listen & to be kind. to fill from within, this is the kind of partner i wish to be. a partner who is whole, who attracts another who is whole so they may have an experience together, & an experience apart. but in their togetherness, there is beauty, there is kindness & love & enjoyment, there is sexual ecstasy, there is friendship & trust & union in enjoyment, in presence.

and when apart, whole in their apartness, as Osho says, when you are alone, be alone, when you are with company, be with your company.

all is a sharing, all is a reflection & to love requires a great and beautiful willingness to love yourself first and be present in each moment you are alive...we then approach our partners from a space of love & fulfillment, never of need. you never need the other to fill you, because in your love, presence and breath, you fill yourself...then you share.

presence is all. breath is all. love is all...the new lover is fulfilled from within and then shares his fulfillment. all is beautiful.

--nb 6.20.10

remembering:

2010-06-11T23:47:00.001-07:00

the bottom can never come out from under you, because there was never any bottom to begin with.

p. jack coleman :*

remembered:

2010-06-11T23:45:00.001-07:00

"I have lots of things to teach you now, in case we ever meet,
concerning the message that was transmitted to me under a pine tree
in North Carolina on a cold winter moonlit night. It said that
Nothing Ever Happened, so don't worry. It's all like a dream.
Everything is ecstasy, inside. We just don't know it because of our thinking-minds.
But in our true blissful essence of mind is known that everything is alright
forever and forever and forever. Close your eyes, let your hands
and nerve-ends drop, stop breathing for 3 seconds, listen to the silence
inside the illusion of the world, and you will remember the lesson
you forgot, which was taught in immense milky way soft cloud innumerable worlds
long ago and not even at all. It is all one vast awakened thing. I call it the golden eternity.
It is perfect. We were never really born, we will never really die. It has nothing to do
with the imaginary idea of a personal self, other selves, many selves everywhere:
Self is only an idea, a mortal idea. That which passes into everything is one thing.
It's a dream already ended. There's nothing to be afraid of and nothing to be glad about.
I know this from staring at mountains months on end. They never show any expression,
they are like empty space. Do you think the emptiness of space will ever crumble away?
Mountains will crumble, but the emptiness of space, which is the one universal essence
of mind, the vast awakenerhood, empty and awake, will never crumble away because
it was never born."
Selected Letters 1957-1969 and is a letter he wrote to his first wife, Edie in 1957."
— Jack Kerouac (The Portable Jack Kerouac)

edward ruscha // n.om

2010-06-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

this is a statement i wrote for a class where i was asked to choose a contemporary artist who i would most want to create an exhibition with, partnering his (in this case, edward ruscha) work with my own and exploring new meaning, juxtapositions, the formal element of their work and mine, etc. here, i utilized my jewelry creating with n.om w/ ruscha's remarkable art work...grateful to create.

The artist I decided to coincide with for an Artist’s Project Exhibition is Los Angeles based painter, film maker and American artist Edward Ruscha. Ruscha’s work is prolific: intriguing, large in scale, captivating, clean, simple and his expression of the mundane, bizarre humor that is the life experience offers, comes through within his paintings and even more simply, in his typographic works. n.om (pronounced “gnome”) is my handmade jewelry line of sculpturally, elegant statement making earring pieces. I too attempt to communicate the bizarre beauty that is life, but in a more abstracted way. I felt Ruscha and I’s collaboration would be the ability of his work to put actual words and larger visual expanse to my jewelry pieces.

Ruscha works mostly in large scale, his works are painterly with an almost photographic as well as a mystical quality to them. The scale and color choices, often bright Pop-Art inspired hues partnered with demur achromatic neutrals (like Sister, Brother 1987 at the New York MOMA) are a trademark of Ruscha’s work, both his iconic shadowy images, as well as his typographic paintings. Formal qualities of n.om include utilizing a large scale within our given medium (like Ruscha): the hoop earrings I create are generally 3.5 to 4 inches in diameter. They are statement pieces meant to adorn the body. I incorporate the natural with the un-natural (feathers with stainless steel hoops) or crystal work (like quartz with brass and base metal chain), much like Ruscha partners his colors: a balance of that which is opposite (bright, popping colors with achromatic neutrals) The balance of opposites with n.om is also seen in Ruscha’s work: most of his paintings are that of imagery, yet he also creates remarkable typographic sayings on canvas. The imagery needs no words to describe, as the viewer will create his or her own meaning, and yet Ruscha often partners imagery with totally, (perhaps off-the-wall) words and sayings, allowing for an entirely new meaning to be created. I also enjoy this play in my jewelry making: often the piece itself creates meaning to the viewer, whether it be the scale, materials used like feather, wire wrapping, the mixing of metals, crystals, etc., I have experimented with incorporating message into the imagery I create with the actual piece. The message could be something obvious, like utilizing actual lettered beads and creating a saying like “Only Love Is Real” or “I’m A Lover” or simply using symbolic beads, like hamsas, oms or any small amulets denoting spirituality or to be utilized as reminders to the wearer (in Ruscha’s case, the viewer).

Ruscha’s work and my work could work together to somehow reflect the meaning of all of life: the balance of opposites, the big and the small that is our experience, the simplicity and yet the remarkable fine tuned details… whenever you view a Ruscha, you have the capability of viewing the expansive piece from afar, getting the whole picture if you will, yet you also have the opportunity to step extremely close, and look at the incredibly fine detail of his brush work, the perfect precision. n.om’s pieces are much the same: one may view the piece from afar, adorning the body, or hold it, interact, observe the fine wire work or the intricacies and uniqueness of each feather used. Collectively, the large scale of Ruscha’s work partnered with the small ritual adornments that is n.om partner up to communicate this: life is the big and the small, the fine details and the bigger picture and there is a balance to be obtained by witnessing, embracing and allowing the flow of everything.

song lyrics:

2010-06-02T02:07:00.000-07:00

perhaps we're all just looking

perhaps we're all just searching

there is a voice, a voice, a voice,

a voice within each of us.

perhaps the voice is just the same,

the voice inside is just the same,

it's a primal scream, a scream,

the voice is a primal scream, a scream, a scream, a scream, a scream, a scream...

there is no judgment,

there is no thought,

relax through, and ask through,

and pass through and laugh through,

until you're asked,

until you're asked, you're asked, you're asked

to stop.

((t.b.c))

in:

2010-06-02T02:01:00.000-07:00

autobiographical

2010-06-02T01:42:00.000-07:00

i wrote this for a class.. perhaps you can draw some connection & wisdom from it:

i am natalia benson. i identify myself not just by the strength of that given name but the strength of my soul. i've been on this earth for 22 years [as i write, i am now 23] in this particular body. i am a tri-part being: body, mind and soul. my body has been here a short while, my minds been evolving a long time before that & my soul is incredibly old. i feel i've been doing this life dance a while, which i feel to be so blissful, interesting and utterly remarkable!

i am an aries. i have an ego that i'm working on. i love to explore myself & others via communication & esoteric modalities: astrology, oracle cards, energy healing & loving. I create with my hands. i love my hands. all in all i love myself immensely & i can best define my experience as an expression of trial & error (of which there never really is any error) & immense amounts of gratitude.

as i said, i am a tri-part being. in terms of my body: i was born to two astounding, loving & beautiful parents, Paula & Scott on April 17th, 1987 @ 1:09 in the morning, Phoenix, Arizona. my grandma lila had an incredibly prolific effect on my upbringing, as did my grandpa mitch: both of their influences so effective yet also subtly different. i have a beautiful brother named coleman, who i am only now beginning to become closer with, & that i am so grateful. my life is very much molded & defined by my relationships: i have attracted utterly astounding friends, acquaintances & romances which help me define & reshape myself each and every day i am alive & choose to be aware.

i feel myself to be a student of all of the universe: ever expanding, contracting & creating.

i am always seeking new information, especially that which i feel can heal myself, hence allowing me to heal others & share with them a greater understanding of their own experience as well as remind me a greater comprehension of my own...

i believe: in reincarnation, i believe in peace within, the law of spiritual attraction (no matter how frustrating it may be...only b/c it truly requires so much awareness and a true willingness in taking responsibility for your life experience) & i believe in love.

i believe in love so much that it essentially defines the totality of my entire human experience.

i truly feel everyday, in my awareness, i am healing & everyday, i am evolving.

i am a being of love, light, experience & foolishness. my greatest purpose is sharing all of the love within me & evolving/healing myself and those around me while within this incredible journey.

you, me & we // are the miracle

2010-06-02T01:18:00.000-07:00

i am slightly unsure how to begin... because to describe beauty by means of the human vernacular sometimes allows things to go left unsaid: silence being, the greatest and most perfect way to express the inexpressible. beauty is often found in silence and to me, beauty is found, actually, is created, through connection, conversation and pure, flowing love between people.

upon returning from an utterly transcendental weekend at lightning in a bottle i feel elated and healed. i healed myself and was healed through my connection, conversations and pure, flowing love with the people i attracted and interacted with.

there is such beauty in this life, and there is such beauty in this world...if ever in doubt, just quiet your mind, silence the mind. this is most easily done by breathing. the breath. people breathing, just simply listening to the inhalation and exhalation of their own life force is one of the most transformative powers in the entire universe. have you ever noticed that everything that lives, breaths? to breath, is to live, to listen, is to breath. silence of the mind can be found in the life force that is the breath.

what i acknowledged and remembered over the last few days:

-- to look into another persons eyes is to peer into their soul

-- all are one, the greatest illusion in this causal-plane experience is that all is in separation (only the mind creates separateness)

-- only now is real; the present moment is all there is

-- our thoughts are the most powerful force in shaping the direction and flow of our experiences

-- only beauty can come out of total awareness (an idea from osho)

-- only love is real

-- loving the self is the greatest and most important thing..ever.

-- recognizing, that all beings are souls & energy just wanting to feel and experience love & flow, makes it difficult to not open yourself to total love, compassion and kindness.

-- all is well

-- be here now

-- breath deeply

-- letting go is a POWERFUL tool for manifesting all you could ever want or desire in your experience; as we let go of worry, thought, what we think we "need" we allow the flow of the inner mind to work its magic (that magic which the intellect knows nothing about!) and bring us forth everything we could ever want or desire...

we are the miracle that is the consciousness of all of the universe. that is so incredible...

we are in a time and space, a space and time, where our connection to one another, remarkable self-evolution, love & remembrance of our true beings is a force that is evolving and shaping all of humanity & divinity

as we remember our divine selves,

we now step into our power as love and light.

i am so grateful and i have faith that you are too. thank you.

3.1.10

2010-03-03T22:42:00.000-08:00

love is so unconventional; i am reminded this from a lengthy and beautiful conversation with a dear friend.

i am pulling so much from my book by osho (love, freedom, aloneness) right now, so much that it continually comes up in conversation.

i know we're coming into a time, where there is a big paradigm shift within the way we love...it's a shift that will perhaps occur someday, even if it is only within a small group of conscious & aware people...here's the idea:

love is all encompassing and unbinding & we all have the ability to love many, many people & within that expansive love, that over flowing love, our love doesn't diminish by loving many...we pull different and beautiful pieces from each person we couple with, from every & any lover that passes through us, we are teachers & students all at once with our lovers..

perhaps the day will manifest where we drop the fear factor that we constantly bring into our relationships, instead of fearing aloneness, we will embrace our eternity...and in that loving ourselves, we love all and we are more able to love one another.

2.15.10

2010-02-16T14:24:00.000-08:00

in bed. feels remarkable.

beautiful day, i am learning & experiencing so much..

money is a beautiful & funny thing & it's funny to see the way myself & others attempt to simplify their experience..

but, i admire and love myself so dearly, because sometimes despite another's energy i remind myself to guard my own, i also notice i'm becoming better at being a little quieter, & just allowing...being silent & listening, not trying to prove myself so much anymore...

i still do, i hear it, yet, it's just becoming more fluid, i am, & i am so grateful.

grateful for my awareness & the beautiful voice within me that reminds me, its all love, be loving, be kind, be compassionate to another's situation & ego, (and be compassionate to my own!) be a beacon of light, be yourself, love yourself & just be...it's getting easier, it gets easier

reminding myself of these things..reminding myself patience...

to just allow, relinquish control.

when i do, the univ delivers all that i've been wanting & then some...a great sum!

a cool passion, a passionate coolness as osho says.

i am grateful for the beauty in my life experience, for the kind beautiful & interesting souls i encounter. we are all just beings, souls seeking love & understanding...we all need a soft space to land. for those who are love & who are seeking depth of understanding & beauty, i hope to be a soft space to land..

accept yourself as a loving, kind, healer:

a healing being--

a loving being--

here to remind others of the loving healing within themselves

breath deeply and rest assured knowing all is in divine order

give up your need to prove yourself (be aware that you do this & choose anew)

--i am enough

--i do enough

--i am enough and worthwhile and love-able

& AND NEVER TAKE ANYTHING PERSONALLY

2010-02-03T00:37:00.000-08:00

some pieces of incredible inspiration today:

2010-02-03T00:19:00.000-08:00

1. “This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness.”

-- the dalai lama

2. waiting for yoga to start, wrote a poem before class as i missed the one i was "supposed" to go to, in order to make the one i was meant to go to: (and hence had time for the poem) :

everything as its meant to,

for all ways and forever,

this seems to make the greatest sense as I let go of my tremors,

see tremors are fears born of not, believing in our divine,

but often we forget the infinity we've spent in all knowingness sublime.

see everything flows as its meant to

if only we can let go, relinquish control and role with the soul, is a most gorgeous way to grow.

3. received a beautiful note, from a stunning soul today, and in it she attached this quote in response to yesterdays "reminders" post:

Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that frightens us. We ask ourselves, "Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and fabulous?" Actually who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn't serve the world. There's nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of the universe that is within us. It is not in some of us, its in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give others permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others. - Marianne Williamson

4. I challenge you upon reading this, to attempt to view for one entire day, every single person you meet, encounter, speak with, etc. as a soul, a bundle of energy, all the same, with no differences from you what so ever. be gentle within this process, perhaps to begin try it for an hour, and then work up to a day; gently reminding yourself that each is a soul, and you are a soul, hence, all the same. judgment void.

let me know how it goes. :)

love love love.

listen to the words:

2010-02-02T09:44:00.000-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9RVA6jObLyQ

2010-02-01T20:05:00.000-08:00

reminders:

2010-02-01T19:49:00.000-08:00

our thoughts are powerful, and if we are aware enough, we are granted reminders from higher energy, the universe, god, our higher selves, whatever you choose to name this dominion. I personally enjoy calling it the universe, or "univ" for short:

(today): yes univ, you are constantly reminding me...anytime I doubt or fear or am unsure, via my incredible friends, small notes, chance interactions, I am reminded of the remarkable greatness that is me.

how eternal, even within my "mistakes", my harsh self-judgments, whatever it may be that I allow my ego to infringe upon me, I am always somehow reminded that all of those thoughts are total illusion, unreal fears born of fatigue, and/or being totally unpresent...

my best friend, just told me, reminded me, of the beauty that is within me, those things he views in me that I often forget, or doubt...each of us holds beauty, greatness, the ability to be loving and embracing, the ability to be present and real. the day where we are all (every single being in an earth bound experience) aware of this truth will come to reality at some point in space and time.

today I am reminded:

1. visualize greatness

2. hold a space of loving acceptance within mySELF

3. follow my joy and follow my bliss

4. believe, believe, believe in my own greatness

subscribe to these things if you wish, they are daily reminders that I hold very dear:

Skip Jennings, the Urban Mystic

Notes From The Universe

love love love, in total gratitude.

warpaint, "elephants"

2010-01-31T12:59:00.000-08:00

absolutely incredible:

http://www.thefader.com/2010/01/05/video-premiere-warpaint-elephants/

beauty in the culmination of love manifest

2010-01-31T12:56:00.000-08:00

life part deus

2010-01-31T12:37:00.000-08:00

"and the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." -- anais nin

+++

books that have shaped my philosophies:

1. conversations with god (book 1 of 3), neale donald walsh

2. the celestine prophecy, james redfield

3. by the river piedra, i sat down and wept, paulo coehlo

4. believing in love, elizabeth hess stamper

5. many lives, many masters, dr. brian weiss

6. the power of now (excerpts from), eckart tolle

===

the pursuit of knowledge and the courage to move forward within my own thinking has resulted in a rich yet contemplative existence. my mom would always quote "the unexamined life is not worth living"...plato, from the apology, i do believe. :)

enjoy this stunning day-- smile at yourself in the mirror at least once, and then smile at someone you do not know!

1:

2010-01-30T16:10:00.000-08:00

see the innocence in other peoples actions.

afriday afternoon unders t a n d i n g

2010-01-30T15:53:00.000-08:00

1.29.10

there are those gorgeous moments of total clarity...of which I am so grateful. the answers arrive, from those situations that I allow to cause me so much pain, when I take things so personally, and yet...you can't. You can (take things personally...) if you want to cause yourself great pain, but the pain is illusion.

TRUTH IS ONLY BREATH & BREATH IS PURE PRESENCE. bliss, joy and clarity are within the moment: available right NOW. (now, now, now...)

this week, I have been reminded & revealed so many incredible insights...into men, into these people & situations that once hurt me so, yet I let go, and I RELEASE & clarity & peace is bestowed.

THIS IS YOU. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR NOT ALLOWING ME TO HIDE FROM MYSELF ANY LONGER.

be & breath.

love is magic d e c o m p r e s s e d

yoga as medicine ::: thoughts of a practicing yogini

PLEASURE & LIBERATION :::

I'M GRATEFUL FOR ...................

mallorca, spain / hossegor, south of france

paris:

someday, somewhere, anywhere, here, there:

"Someday, somewhere - anywhere, unfailingly, you’ll find yourself, and that, and only that, can be the happiest or bitterest hour of your life." — Pablo Neruda

jewelry making class TWO ! :::

response to naked.

an ode to a beautiful nude

every thing is every thing :::

space 15 Twenty interview :::

this was a big day for me :::

SUNDAY ::: April 10th ;;;;

sale sale sale sale : vintage/jewelry : sale sale sale sale

tarot readings w/ natalia ::: reviews

"Not only do I love your knowledge of the Tarot but I love how you incorporate your evolved wisdom and the Higher Consciousness of the Love energy into your readings and everything you do. Then you can help "prescribe" your client a customized Tarot Necklace or other beautiful n.om Jewelry piece"

coachella-la : body chain necklaces, 90s flair, braid in feathers

invocation of the goddess :::

::: prayer for japan :::

hummingbird, love, message, MAGIC

get ready, get set :::

thought :::

feather/coachella/inspired/quick collection :::

n.om ::: jewelry making class January 22 - 23, 2011

n.om:::

remember:::

little grandmother ::: watch watch watch :::

love/amor/love/amor/magic/love//

:::

marianne williamson:

Kahlil Gibran on Love

watch: fawnhawk "hunters hide"

manifesto of the new lover

remembering:

remembered:

edward ruscha // n.om

song lyrics:

in:

autobiographical

you, me & we // are the miracle

3.1.10

2.15.10

some pieces of incredible inspiration today:

listen to the words:

reminders:

warpaint, "elephants"

beauty in the culmination of love manifest

life part deus

1:

afriday afternoon unders t a n d i n g

"Someday, somewhere - anywhere, unfailingly, you’ll find yourself,
and that, and only that, can be the happiest or bitterest hour of your life."
— Pablo Neruda